Dr. David R. Zusman proposes to examine sensory transduction in Myxococcus xanthus by examining the Frz pathway, which is homologous to the Che pathway of the enteric bacteria. The frz genes control cell reversal frequency and are essential for directed cell movement during fruiting body development. This project explores fundamental processes of sensory transduction in a model organisms which may have application to our understanding of similar processes in higher cells. The proposal has 4 basic objectives: 1) Characterize FrzZ, a novel CheY like protein with two phosphoacceptor domains; 2) identify the motor switch components that are thought to interact with FrzE; 3) identify attractant(s) which may be responsible for directing fruiting body formation; 4) determine whether beta-lactamase induces sporulation and determine the mechanism by which the gene is regulated.